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Patented May 9, 1916.

lggr gmwm .ilw 0cm H. F. LOEWER.

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PPLICATION FILED SEPT. 15. I915. 1,182,391.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY F. LOEWER, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

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Application filed September 15, 1915.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY F. Lonwnn, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lasts, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to lasts of the divided type, such as may be shortened prior to their introduction into, or removal from, a shoe by a relative movement of the fore-part and the heel-part.

In the designing and manufacture of shoes it is quite common to make the heelparts of similar form and dimensions, regardless of changes in the styles and shapes of the fore-parts, so that the lasts for the various styles are likewise similar in their heel-parts. Accordingly, it has been proposed to render the parts of the last detaclr able and interchangeable, so that in chang ing from one style to another it is necessary only to change the fore-part of the last, the same heel-part being used throughout, and economy being thus secured in the provision of the necessary lasts.

The object of the present invention is to produce a last, capable of use in the manner above described, in which the means by which the parts of the last are secured together have simple and convenient provision for detaching the fore part from the heel-part. To this end I propose to employ one or more springpressed 'plungers mounted in, and movable transversely with respect to, the fore-part of the last, these plungers acting as the pivots or fasteningdevices by which the fore-part is attached to the hinge-plate, link, or other connectingmember by which the fore-part and the heel-part of the last are held in their operative relation. By retracting these plungers they may be readily disengaged from the connecting-member, whereupon the forepart can be detached from the heel-part, and another fore-part quickly and easily sub stituted.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of a last embodying the present invention; and Fig. 2 is a partial transverse section through the fore-part of the last, on a larger scale than Fig. 1.

The invention is applicable to divided lasts of various constructions and modes of operation, but it is shown, for convenience,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 9, 1916.

Serial No. 50,808.

in a last in which the fore-part and heelpart have a relative sliding movement along an inclined section-plane at the waist of the last. The heel-part 5 and the forepart 6 are shown as joined by a connecting-member in the form of a sheet-metal plate 7, this plate being seated in narrow slots in the two parts so as to retain them firmly in their proper relative positions. To permit the sliding movements of the parts, the plate 7 is pivoted to the heel-part 5 on a pin 8. In order to actuate the plate 7, and also to lock it against accidental movement, it is provided with gear-teeth 9 which mesh with a worm 10. The worm is arranged to turn in a perforation in the heel-part of the last, and is integral with a socket 11 which not only serves as the thimble or socket to receive a jack-post upon which the last may be placed, but is also formed with a square or otherwise non-circular opening, so that the worm may be rotated by the introduction of a suitable instrument into the socket. This arrangement constitutes no part of the present invention, but is disclosed in U. S. Patent #873,060, granted to me December 10,1907.

The connectingmember 7 is movably attached to the forepart 6 by means of two pivot-pins 12 and 13, which work in slots in the plate. These slots are formed, as disclosed in my said patent, in such a manner as to hold the fore-part closely in contact with the heel-part throughout all parts of their relative movement, and thus to secure a straight-line or sliding movement between the parts of the last.

The invention resides particularly in the form and arrangement of the pivots 12 and 18. As shown particularly in Fig. 2, these pivots are in the form of spring-pressed plungers, arranged to slide in metal sockets 14: which are driven tightly into transverse perforations in the fore-part. Each plunger is pressed inwardly by a coiled spring 15, this movement being limited by a stem 16, which passes through an opening in the outer end of the socket-member and is headed to limit its inward movement. Each perforation is provided, on the opposite side of the plate 7 from the socket-member 14:, with a sleeve 17 which receives the end of the plunger, when the latter is in engagement with the plate 7, and thus supports 'the plunger firmly against lateral movement.

In the normal operation of the last the spring-pressed plungers act precisely in the same manner as the stationary or permanent pivots heretofore employed in the same connection. When the fore-part is to be disengaged from the heel-part, however, it is necessary merely to introduce a suitable instrument through the sleeves 17, so as to depress the plungers out of engagement with the plate 7, whereupon the plate may be Withdrawn from the plungers and the heel-part thus disengaged from the forepart.

I claim In a divided last, the combination of a heel-part; a fore-part; a connecting-member by which said parts are held in operative relation; a pivot-pin, on Which the con heating-member moves, mounted to slide laterally in one part of the last; and a spring for holding said pin normally in engagement With the connecting-member; the pivot-pin being retractable to permit detachment of one of said parts of the last from the other.

HENRY F. LOEWER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

